The Lego Batman Movie (****)

The Lego Batman Movie continues along the same vein of comedy that originated in it's predecessor: The Lego Movie. This time we are treated to a free-standing story surrounding Batman (as played by Will Arnett) as he fights crime and mayhem in Lego Gotham City. It's a notable movie that very rarely slips into a dull moment. It's also very much a retread of what worked in the first film. It's nothing we haven't seen before.

We remember Batman from the first Lego Movie. With his brooding voice and personality of an emo guitarist, he was a highlight in the film as a small but memorable cameo. His expansion to feature-length makes sense in terms of marketability. It's a remake just like the franchise has seen in years past. It pokes fun at the fact that the superhero genre is now over-saturated with content. This gives us everything and then the kitchen sink.

Batman is a lonely crime fighter who takes his job almost as seriously as his looks. Besides Alfred, the only thing we see Batman concerned for is his own well-being. Through a series of circumstances he becomes the guardian of a lovable loser, Dick Grayson (Michael Cera) who dreams of having a father and yet is oblivious to the fact that Bruce Wayne' basement is home to the caped crusader. Even when Dick meets Batman in the Bat Cave, he is told that Batman and Bruce are like Dick's "two dads." Makes sense to Dick! Dick essentially becomes the Robin character in the film, donning tight green shorts and a cape to match (much to the distain of Batman). The comedy comes from these polar opposites interacting, and since it's sttill technically a children's movie we know that Bruce will come to care for the boy by the end of the film.

The humor from the Lego Movie was it's complete absurdity. Batman very much continues this tradition. Of course this is a Batman movie, but it's also a Lego movie, so we get very funny scenes of characters from different worlds colliding (much as they might with children playing). The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) seeks to destroy Batman for good and travels to the Phantom Zone where he recruits the likes of Lord Voldemort, the Wicked Witch of the West, Cthulhu, and the Eye of Sauron to battle for control of Gotham. The animation style still carries the stop-motion effect although we would never believe a film this complex and detailed would ever be completed anywhere but in a computer.

As a small character in the first film, Batman was a hilarious sidekick. As the main character, it's a lot of the same old stuff we might expect. We have to learn about the death of his parents, and his potential love interest with Commissioner Gordon's daughter, and his rivalry with the Joker. At times scenes become a bit too repetitive, a bit too cliched, and we patiently wait for the movie to return to the mindless action at play (and the action scenes are surprisingly good considering it's all just Lego pieces).

The movie is absurd and far-fetched but I think that's what my main appeal with this franchise is. It has a very distinct style and creativity that simply is unmatched among other animated films coming out of Hollywood. Filmmakers don't seem bound by conventions here, and it's all the more enjoyable a filmgoing experience to guess what will happen next. For all it's shortcomings, there's no reason that this movie still shouldn't come highly recommended. It's an endless barrage of silly jokes and vivid images, and it's more than a lot of fun to watch.